Automatic gate-opening mechanism.



J MGMILLAN.

AUTOMATIC GATE OPENING MBCHANIb.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.14,1911. Y 1,07,1 39, Patented 0ct.21, 1913.

. 3 @www 1121/3 AMV@ JOHN McMILLAN, F CINTON, BRITISH CJ''MBIA, CANADA.,

AUTOMATIC GATE-OPENING MESI-IANIS` Specification of Letters Patent.

Application ined september i4, 1911. serial no. 649,291.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, JOHN MCMILLAN, citizen of the Dominion of Canada, residing at Clinton, in the Province of British Columbia, Canada, have invented e new and useful Automatic Gate-Opening Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a mechanical means for opening a gate as that gate is appreached by a. vehicle, without the inconvenience of one having to dismount from the vehicle to open and close the gate.

The gate cannot only be opened in advance of a vehicle approaching it but is op- L5 erable automatically by the Vehicle itself during that approach, and is similarly automatically closable.

The invention is particularly described in the following specification, reference being made to the drawings which it is accompanied, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan of the gate and its operating mechanism. Fig. 2, a longitudinal sectional elevation of the same, looking to ward the hinge of the gate, and Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the latch lever.

In these drawings 2 represents the line ot' the ron to which the gate 3 is applied, 4 being the hinge post on which the gate is hung and the latch post to whichit is retained in the closed position. The hinge member 6 of the gate is mounted in 'bearings 7 secured to the gate post 4. The frame of the gate 3 is secured to its hinge member 6 so as to move pivotally with it. in the bearings 7 on which it is hinged to the gate post, and on this hinge member Gis secured a pinion l() the teeth of which mesh with those of a segment 11 pivotally mounted at I2 to the hinge post 4 of the gate. To the middle of this segment 10 is connected atl 13 a'rod or Wire 14 from the operating mechanism which is on each side of the gate, so as to be operable from eitherdirection. The

other end of this connection 14 is attached at 15 to the end of a lever 16 secured on a rocking shaft 17 supported in bearings in a trough or channel 18 beneaththe level of the roadway,v To open the gate 3 in a direction away from the approaching vehicle this lever 16 must be moved in the opposite direction, or away from the gat-e, and the mechanism is intended to be automatically operated by the 'vehicle approaching, the

5.3 rocking shaft 17 on which the lever Itt is secured is operated from a supplementary rocking shaft 2l on which the vehicle engaging lever 20 is .secured and the shaft, l? 1s moved from 2 by intermeshlng pinions 22 secured on each. By. this means,

connection 26 to the lower end ofthe latchv lever 2S which is pivotalljv mounted M729 on the latch post 5. The latch lever at'its upperaend is provided with a notch 30 to recevwfthe latch bolt 3l which is pivotally mounted on the' gate. Thus as the movement ot' the .lever ifi rotates the pinion 10 to open the gate the same moveiixent of the flicking shaft 17 draws back by means of the. lever 25 the lower end of the latch levez." Q8 and projects forward the upper end, which retains the latch, ihus'giving the free end of the gate an impetus -in the direction of movement and at the Sante time tuming the latch det-ent into a position from which the latch may free itself as'tlie gate swinfrs open. After the vehicle haspassed throng. the gate must in a similar manner be antomatically returned to the closed position. This is effected by a closing lever 3l. mounted on a rocking shaft 32 extending across the width of the roadway and having a lever 33 secured on it at each end. The ends of these levers 33 are connected by rods 34 to the corresponding ends of the levers l5 and respectively,

'The saine. mechanism for operating and closing is on each side of 'the gate so that the ,fi-,ate is: automatically operable both 'for opening and closing from either direction ov approach.

As a vehicle approaches the gate, when closed, some part of the vehicle underfrauie, which, if necessary, may he specially Signed for the purpose, will engage the lever 20 upwar'div proj :ting from the road s urfactuand willmo tto oenthe Atte-r passing through e .ee'ay the same jection the ie 'will the .lever 3l and will move it. te close the gate,

Having now particularly described my iln- Patented Got. 2li, NH3.

vention and the manner of its operation, I hereby declare that what I claim as new and desire to be protected in by Letters Patpinion, a rocking shaft mounted on each side v of the gate in the line et the roadway said Shafts being beneath the level of the road, a. lever secured to each sha t't and connected to the wheel segment on the post of the gate Way below the fulcrum of said Wheel segment, a second shaft on each side of the gate and in driving connect-ion with the first named shaft, said second shaft having means'secured to it and projecting above the level of the road surface that will be engaged by an approaching vehicle and moved toward the gate to open it, and means on each side of the gate .tor engaging a vehicle moving from the gate and operating the mechanism to close the gate.

2. In a device for the purpose specified, the combination with a gate hinged to open to either side from a mid-position extending across aroad or railway track, a pinion secured on the hinge post ot the gate, a wheel segment pivotally mounted :.on the hinge post of the gateway, the teeth of which segment mesh with those of the pinion, a rocking shaft supported beneath the road bed on each side of the gate, a leyeron each shaft,- the end of which is connected to the wheel segment. below the fulcrum of said wheel segment, a second rocking shaft on each side parallel to the first and in driving connection with it said second sha tt having secured te it an operating lever projecting above thc surface of the road and designed to bc en gaged and moved by a vehicle passing over it.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination with a gate, hinged to open to either side from a mid-position extending across the road, a pinion secued to the hinge post of the gate, a wheel segment vmounted on the hinge post of the gateway, the teeth of which segment mesh with those of the pinion, a latch lever pivotally mounted on the latch post of the gateway the upper end of which latch lever is provided with a detent to retain the latch of the gate, a rocl ing shaft extending across the road beneath the level of its surface at a distance from the gate'on each side of it, each rocking shaft having a lever secured at each end, means for connecting the levers respectively to the wheel segment on the hinge'post and to the latch lever on the latch post of the gateway. means projecting above the road surface for engaging an approaching vehicle and rocking the shaft to move the wheel segment and latch lever, and similar means on tlie opposite side of the gateway for movingthe Wheel segment. and latch lever in the opposite direction.

4. In a device of the class described, a gate hinged to open to either side of a midposition extending across the road, a pinion secured to the hinge aiis ot' the gate, a wheel segment mounted on the hinge post of the gateway to mesh with the pinion, a latch lever having a detent, a latch on the gate ceoperating with said detent., receptacles at each side of the gate in the longitudinal direction of the road and sct into the ground, two rocking shafts mounted in each receptacle, levers lountcd on each of said rockv ing shafts, rot s connecting the levers of said rocking shafts to said wheel segment and to said latch lever, an operalinglever mounted on one rocking shaft in each receptacle and projecting above the plane of the roadway, supplemental shaftsrmounted in said receptacles and gearconnected with the other of the rocking shafts, and'a lever mounted on each of said supplemental shafts and also projecting above the roadway, all being arranged suhstantially as shown andv for the purposes described. l

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specication in the presence ot two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN MeltllLLAN.

`Vttnesses t JAMES MURPHY, .IoHN lSCGILLIvRAN. 

